sarcasm, but not ill-natured, his wonderful information,
and the facility with which he handles every subject, from the
most grave and severe to the most trifling, displaying a mind
full of varied and extensive information and a memory which has
suffered nothing to escape it, I never saw any man whose
conversation impressed me with such an idea of his superiority
over all others. As Rogers said the morning of his departure,
'this morning Solon, Lycurgus, Demosthenes, Archimedes, Sir Isaac
Newton, Lord Chesterfield, and a great many more went away in one
post chaise.' He told us a great many details relating to the
Queen's trial, and amongst other things (which I do not believe)
his conviction that the Queen had never had any intrigue with
Bergami. He told us the whole story of his finding out the
departure of Rastelli, which happened from a friend of his
accidentally seeing Rastelli in the street, recognising him, and
telling Brougham.[23] Brougham told none of his colleagues, and
at first did not believe the story, but by putting artful
questions, and watching their effect, he found it was so, and
then out he came with it. There was a grand discussion whether
they should not throw up their briefs and stop there, and he was
all for it, but was overruled and gave way. The person who was
most anxious they should go on was Lord Grey, for he had got a
notion that they could not any of them speak to evidence, and he
wanted to make such a speech, which he fancied he could do very
well. Brougham said that as leading counsel for the Queen he
always reserved to himself the power of acting as he thought fit,
whatever the opinions of his colleagues might be, though they
always consulted together and gave their sentiments upon every
debated point _seriatim_. He and Denman invariably thought alike.
The Queen never could bear him, and was seldom civil to him. When
she had to answer the address of the House of Commons she
appealed to her counsel for their advice, which they declined to
give, and she was furious, for she wanted to make them advise her
to accept the propositions of the House, which would have been
very unpopular, and then throw the odium of doing so on them.[24]
He spoke very highly of Alderman Wood, who behaved very well,
never annoyed or interfered with them, and seems to have been
altogether a _brave homme_.

[23] [For the use made by Mr. Brougham of the accidental
departure of Rastelli during the Q